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05-11-2008, 05:01 AM
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#1
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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Texas BBQ Full Monty
That's right, today is Mother's Day, we've invited over both sets of parents, and I'll be smoking a brisket all day long. I might do some ribs and sausage too. I told Frank (62Overlander) that I'd post a thread for it, so here it is.
I started the charcoal at about 4:30 AM, and used the coals to start the wood fire by about 5:15. I also rubbed the brisket with my super-duper fantastic top-secret dry rub. But since I included the ingredients in one of the pictures I took, you'll all now be privy to this priveleged information.
I know, I know... everyone on this forum wants to see pics. I'll upload them in a few minutes.
To any mothers out there-- Happy Mother's Day!
-Marcus
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05-11-2008, 05:02 AM
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#2
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Restorations done right
Commercial Member
1962 26' Overlander
1961 26' Overlander
Vintage Kin Owner
Currently Looking...
Baltimore
, Maryland
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 5,545
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my Southwest flight comes in at 12:45, will you be picking me up or should I rent a car....
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05-11-2008, 05:03 AM
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#3
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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I probably shouldn't leave the fire for over an hour, so I'll just send the Bentley to pick you up.
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05-11-2008, 05:16 AM
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#4
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Restorations done right
Commercial Member
1962 26' Overlander
1961 26' Overlander
Vintage Kin Owner
Currently Looking...
Baltimore
, Maryland
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 5,545
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Is that "bently" some kind of new Japanese pickup truck? Does it have dualies? Extended cab? It's a long bed right? Oh, yeh you live in austin where everyone is from someplace else... not as many pickups there. So where are the pictures?
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05-11-2008, 05:27 AM
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#5
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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working on it, feeding the baby right now so her mom can sleep in.
I'll post 'em up in 15...
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05-11-2008, 05:55 AM
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#6
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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Okay, for those who don't know, Texans are very particular about what we call "barbeque" and how we prepare it.
Now before anyone gets all up in arms, I want to preface this by saying that I've had great BBQ in Carolina, Tennessee, and Kansas City. When it comes to BBQ styles, I don't discriminate-- if it's tasty, I'm going to eat it.
And I also realize that there are some yankee folk who refer to the word "barbeque" as an activity, a get-together, a social event that centers on burgers and hot dogs cooked over an open fire. That's okay, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, but down here we call that "grilling" and there are plenty of tasty treats that you can grill to be sure.
But when a Texan uses the word "barbeque" he's talking about a style of food cooked low and slow over indirect heat, or "smoking" the meat. And when a Texan refers to "barbeque" he's typically talking about beef brisket, though there are plenty of other tasty critters that you can cook low and slow.
So anyway, I just wanted to preface all of this and show you how I do it. We start off with the fire-- I use a chimney starter to get the charcoal going.
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05-11-2008, 06:05 AM
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#7
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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We don't cook over the charcoal. Once it's ready, I load a few logs into the offset firebox, and use the charcoal to get it started. This morning I used a couple of oak logs and a pecan log.
No pictures of that though, too hot!
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05-11-2008, 06:10 AM
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#8
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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In the meantime, I've pulled the brisket out of the refrigerator, and allowed it to warm up for about 20-30 minutes. It'll cook better if I don't throw it in the pit straight out of the refrigerator.
It needs seasoning, and a dry rub is perfect for brisket. No need for a sop or misting or any of that stuff-- the brisket has so much fat on it and in it that it self-bastes throughout the cooking process.
Which reminds me, you should always look for an untrimmed brisket. You need ALL of the fat to withstand the long cooking time. Down here, the untrimmed brisket is also referred to as a "packer trim." If you get a "market-trimmed" brisket and try to slow-smoke it for 12 hours, you're going to be sorry.
So, the dry rub is simple. 2 parts salt, 1 part pepper, 1 part paprika. And I often throw in some chipotle powder too, but it can get pretty spicy when you do that.
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05-11-2008, 06:13 AM
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#9
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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Mix up your dry rub in a mixing bowl, and then apply it liberally to all sides, both the lean side and the fatty side.
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05-11-2008, 06:16 AM
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#10
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Restorations done right
Commercial Member
1962 26' Overlander
1961 26' Overlander
Vintage Kin Owner
Currently Looking...
Baltimore
, Maryland
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 5,545
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my mouth is watering just looking at raw meat. We are off to the farmers market where the closest thing is "pit beef" it is sort of like BBQ. I will take the camera along so you can see the yankee version of BBQ. I look forward to seeing your pictures in a few hours.
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05-11-2008, 06:21 AM
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#11
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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The temperature is important. "Low and slow" means roughly 225. Dial in the pit and hold it there forever.
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05-11-2008, 06:22 AM
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#12
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 62overlander
my mouth is watering just looking at raw meat. We are off to the farmers market where the closest thing is "pit beef" it is sort of like BBQ. I will take the camera along so you can see the yankee version of BBQ. I look forward to seeing your pictures in a few hours.
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Looking forward to it. Cooked dead animal is always alright in my book.
I'll give you a sneak peak at what the brisket is already looking like after almost two hours on the fire. Probably another 8-10 hours to go.
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05-11-2008, 06:25 AM
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#13
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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Here is my rig:
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05-11-2008, 06:27 AM
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#14
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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And here is what's in it:
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05-11-2008, 06:29 AM
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#15
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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Like Frank's trailer, my pit could use a bit of polishing. Wire-brushing, cleaning, and re-painting was actually on the to-do list for this weekend, before I decided to cook with it instead.
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05-11-2008, 06:52 AM
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#16
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Rivet Master
1954 25' Cruiser
Kyle
, The Republic of Texas
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 612
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Quote:
Originally Posted by utee94
Looking forward to it. I'll give you a sneak peak at what the brisket is already looking like after almost two hours on the fire. Probably another 8-10 hours to go.
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Eu-tee - Assuming you are somewhere between S. Congress Ave. & Lake Travis, I calculate I'll need to leave Wimberley around 10:00 this am to arrive in time for 3 to 4 iced long necks while that brisquet is finishing up. I'll bring the tater salad & develed aigs. Sounds like you & yours will have a great Mother's Day, in large part due to your BBQ skills. Glad to hear you do your own brisket & not go the local food store's pre-cooked route. Your's will be soooo much mo bettah.
I slept in the Airstream last night. It serves as our spare bedroom when we have a house full (and that's not hard to do in a 2 BR ranch house). But mostly I slept out there cause I could & wanted to . I was washing the AS yesterday in our 97 degree heat - the skins were so hot that it dried with a limestone dusty finish (our hill country well water). Woke up this am to 66 degrees outside!!!, so I think I'll be back out there with a vinegar & water solution to clean off the limestone streaks. That's MY Mother's Day celebration, and can't think of a better way. Everyone else will be inside (catching up with me) giving the Mom's their much deserved love & special appreciation. I try to do that every day, so I don't feel too bad spending a part of this beautiful day with my Stream.
__________________
I love that old time rock & roll.
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05-11-2008, 07:17 AM
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#17
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitsend
Eu-tee - Assuming you are somewhere between S. Congress Ave. & Lake Travis, I calculate I'll need to leave Wimberley around 10:00 this am to arrive in time for 3 to 4 iced long necks while that brisquet is finishing up. I'll bring the tater salad & develed aigs. Sounds like you & yours will have a great Mother's Day, in large part due to your BBQ skills. Glad to hear you do your own brisket & not go the local food store's pre-cooked route. Your's will be soooo much mo bettah.
I slept in the Airstream last night. It serves as our spare bedroom when we have a house full (and that's not hard to do in a 2 BR ranch house). But mostly I slept out there cause I could & wanted to . I was washing the AS yesterday in our 97 degree heat - the skins were so hot that it dried with a limestone dusty finish (our hill country well water). Woke up this am to 66 degrees outside!!!, so I think I'll be back out there with a vinegar & water solution to clean off the limestone streaks. That's MY Mother's Day celebration, and can't think of a better way. Everyone else will be inside (catching up with me) giving the Mom's their much deserved love & special appreciation. I try to do that every day, so I don't feel too bad spending a part of this beautiful day with my Stream.
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Spending the night in your Airstream makes for a perfect weekend I think. My wife has told me numerous times that she has no doubt I'm going to be doing that regularly as soon as we finally get one.
Yeah, it got pretty dern hot yesterday didn't it? I was outside all day cleaning and re-staining my deck and patio furniture, and I had no choice but to cool off with a few icy cold long-necks myself.
I was a bit apprehensive about spending the day hanging out by a fiery hot pit, but this morning the temperature is so pleasant that it's been a fantastic morning.
I love the Wimberly area by the way, we're thinking about buying some property out there. A few acres, hopefully with a view. That will be the future home of our future Airstream.
Hope you have a great day, and I'll be looking for that tater salad along about 4 PM okay?
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05-11-2008, 08:39 AM
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#18
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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The equipment makes a difference. Pits like this one aren't cheap-- they retail for $600 - $1000 for this size. Luckily for me, my bride's father ran a smoker business as his side business for many years, and gave this pit to me. I call it "The Dowry."
But with a good pit like this one, all it takes is adding another log every 45 minutes or so, and setting up the air intake and exhaust to control air flow.
Here we are, still right around 225 (just a bit below, but no biggie), and no maintenance to get there:
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05-11-2008, 08:40 AM
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#19
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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The intake is the key-- I open it up when lighting, and close it down to 50% or a bit less when the fire is well lit.
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05-11-2008, 08:43 AM
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#20
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Rivet Master
1963 26' Overlander
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,640
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I leave the exhaust completely open. Some folks use it to control the temperature as well, it just depends on your unit. The only time I really ever use it is when I need to kill the fire, then I close it (and the intake) all the way.
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